Tuesday, August 31, 2010

I wasn’t expecting much. I’m not a huge fan of disaster movies in the first place but I just wanted something brainless and fun to watch. I figured this big budget special effects fest would fit the bill. Usually these have some bad acting, silly dialogue and hilarious action sequences to provide a fun evening of silly entertainment. I chose to ignore the fact that Roland Emmerich had anything to do with it. That may have been my first mistake.

Summary:

In the year 2012 the world is going to end because of a bunch of pseudo-scientific mumbo jumbo. The governments of the world know it and have a plan, but when things go wrong (as per norm in these movies) they realize they have less time to execute their plan. Mixed up in all this is writer/limo driver Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) who tries to save his family from worldwide destruction. He puts his trust in a nut job played with gusto by Woody Harrelson, and his map to the escape ships. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton and Oliver Platt round out the cast.

Good Points:

Some very fun special effects

Ejofor is very good as the concerned scientist

Provided some solid unintentional laughs

Bad Points:

Bogs down when developing the boring characters

Not as much fun as you’d think

Most of the acting is pretty bland

Overall:

Ok, here’s a tip. Don’t make your disaster movie boring. These things are supposed to be big, noisy and over the top. But “2012” has a kind of dower feel to it, one that saps the fun away. A few of the actors bring some life to their characters, Harrelson, Platt and Ejofor. But everyone else is dull. The action sequences get redundant and thrill-less by the end. The best portion is Cusack’s race against the earthquake and the plane lift off that follows it. After that, the movie just sinks under it’s bloated running time. 158 minutes is too long to spend with a movie this dumb.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 4

Sound: 4

Acting: 3

Music: 3

Script: 2

Direction: 2

Entertainment: 2

Total: 2

In Depth Review

Like I mentioned Roland Emmerich and I don’t have a good relationship. I found his three films from the 90’s (Stargate, Independence Day and Godzilla) to be really, really dumb. You could argue that it was his intention with those films to make simple popcorn movies. Fine, but there is a line between simple and stupid and I think Emmerich and his cohert Dean Devlin crossed the line. Most of these films had great ideas at the core, but the execution barely scraped the bottom of the entertainment barrel. But hey, I know I’m in the minority on that.A lot of people loved Stargate and Independence Day.

Godzilla seemed to stop Emmerich for a couple years, but he was soon back in the disaster movie saddle with The Day After Tomorrow a movie I avoided like the plague. But the other day I felt pretty brain dead and wanted to watch something dumb and fun. Stargate and Independence Day had their moments and at least entertained.

Not this time. 2012 suffers from a major problem to keep it from being fun. It takes itself deadly serious. Not once does it wink at the audience, or thrill to the adventure. Instead it takes inordinate amount of time building up characters we don’t care about in a vain hope that you’ll feel even more thrilled when they escape. But when you are laughing your butt off when one of them dies, I think the creators missed the mark.

First off the plot is stupid, really stupid. It’s an excuse to destroy the earth. Ok, fine I can work with it. But don’t pretend that what you wrote is some amazing revelation about humanity’s cruelty to the earth. Accept that you want to have cool special effects and you need a reason for them. The script tries to keep things in a dark apocalyptic tone and it ends up being depressing. Hey Roland, that’s the opposite of fun.

The best parts of the film happen in the beginning. The race between the limo and the crack in the earth culminating to a flight through collapsing buildings is great stuff. It has lots of humor and over the top zeal. That’s exactly what the whole movie needed. It turns out to be the only scene with these elements. Afterward Emmerich seems content to repeat the same type of sequence two more times, and each time it gets more and more boring because we’ve seen it before.

My favorite character was the scenery chewing antics of Woody Harrelson. While he’s around the movie clicks along. Granted he’s annoying, but he’s more interesting to watch than Cusack. And I like John Cusack! Oliver Platt is also having fun as the determined Anheuser. Platt is good at playing a real jerk and he makes you wish for his demise.

Disaster movies can usually be counted on for some good laughs usually at the over the top destruction or the hammy acting. Well Zlatko Buric manages both. He’s hammy and unintelligible half the movie. His swan song is so contrived and shot with so much false pathos that I was rolling on the floor. Great job. That’s what I came here to see.

But the movie never ends. It goes from one glum and hopeless scene to the next. It mopes along, trying desperately to engage but really it’s flaying around. An editor should have seen the tonal problems and cut, cut, cut. This movie should have been around 90 minutes. Instead you spend almost 2 and half hours watching pointless special effects and bland characters.

Some glimmers of fun can be found, and they keep this from being a complete loss, but this is not a fun summer movie. It’s a mess that should be avoided. Rent a real Godzilla movie instead.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Jim Conrad (Pernell Roberts) has his hands full running the very busy San Francisco International airport. First he has to scare a bunch of congressmen with the threat of crashing their plane. Then he has to deal with a large shipment of cash from Juneau, that is being targeted by thieves lead by Tab Hunter. Then there’s the whole issue with a Davey (Ted Eccles) who feel that his mother and father just don’t pay enough attention to him – so he steals a plane. Yeah way to go! Clu Gulager rounds out the cast as chief of security Hatten, who has a run in with a hippy and a square who got in a fight. A lot can happen at SFX when it’s a made for TV movie – of course none of it is terribly interesting.

Movie Review

Wow, does San Francisco International just ooze the scent of made for TV extravaganza. Not only do you get Gulager and Roberts, but there’s the added joy of Tab Hunter, Van Johnson, David Hartman, and a bunch of 70’s actors you’ll recognized right away. Turns out this was a pilot to a series that got picked up – but with Lloyd Bridges playing Roberts role. It still didn’t live long after that, and you can kind of see why here.

Look, a television series about an airport seems like a good idea, and you can see elements that would have been carried over into future installments. The whole sequence with the hippy and the square trying to get Gulager to believe them screams – this is all gonna come back to haunt our hero! Unfortunately there is that strange issue that seemed to plague 70’s and especially 80’s television. Boring, stale old plots!

There is potential for interest in the whole cash theft. It involves disguises, kidnapping, a clever ruse for transporting the money, a guy with huge ears and a mushy nose wheel (don’t ask, just bask in the glow of David Hartman insisting that it is indeed mushy!). Its the disjointed nature of juggling storylines robs it of tension. This should have been a tight caper story, with Gulager and Roberts racing against time to stop the criminals – kinda like a 70’s Die Hard 2 with less machine gun fire. Instead the plot ambles along and manages to bore everyone.

To solve this problem the creators injected a second plot involving the delightful moppet Davey and his thievery of the plane. The whole angle with the parents is written with so much sap and sugar you’ll gag. When Davey steals the plane you can’t help but laugh, and then roll your eyes as Roberts jumps into a plane and flying up to talk the boy down. The cheese is so ripe you can smell it a mile away.

Pernell Roberts is all over this movie attempting to appear confident and in control. Instead he comes across like an obnoxious blowhard. He bellows and pressures and snarls so much you begin to wonder if a gorilla might have played the part with a little less ham. Still he’s entertaining to watch.

Clu Gulager is odd in San Francisco International. He mumbles his lines, looks so relaxed that you expect him to fall asleep in his car (like super 70’s cop Mitchell!). I can’t determine If he was going for cool or high. Either way it’s an odd choice to give the head of security.

Ted Eccles plays the part of Davey just like you’d imagine a child actor in the 70’s to play the part. It’s a funny performance that’s supposed to be touching. Really its not his fault, its just the way this kind of part was directed, but it doesn’t make it good. Not at all. When he shares the moment with his parents at the end, well I dare you not to want to throw something at the screen. But honestly you won’t have to, because Mike and the Bots are here and they’re ready to riff.

Episode Review

The TV pilot and TV movie genre has always been good to Mystery Science Theater 3000. Whether they are the 80’s stupidity of Master Ninja or the Sandy Frank conglomeration that is Time of the Apes all the way to Riding with Death – Best Brains had a blast with these and it usually comes across in the riffing. San Francisco International is probably one of may favorite from this genre.

Its almost as if the television movie gods knew this was going to end up on MST3K at some point, and they just kept adding good fodder. Pernell Roberts is the butt of a lot of the jokes, with his hairpiece and arrogance – he’s really just asking for it. After he bellows “My job, my way!” Mike and the bots start improvising other things that he demands his way… lunch, bathrooms, hostage situations: you get the idea.

Clu’s unique performance adds to the fun, with his mumbling providing the perfect gateway for the bots to try and guess what he just said. But his best riffable scene is the confrontation between the hippy and the square. It contains the best line of the show and maybe one of the classic riffs the series. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but it involves the hippy and his stupid grin at the end of the scene.

Really the richest source of laughs in San Francisco International is Davey and his finale flight. With the silly acting, contrived plot and bad rear projection well Mike and bots have a blast. The riffs range from commenting on Roberts barking orders to the sensitive Davey, to the stunt flying during the landing sequence. Its one of the best finishes to an episode.

This should make this a top-notch episode but one thing holds it back – the host segments. Depending on your tolerance for running jokes. I’ve seen this episode a few times and find that if I’m not in the right mood, I just want to fast forward to the next movie segment. Here’s the issue. The episode starts with a hilarious take on political debates as Crow and Tom try to debate about… um something. It includes a line I often quote “Dill is a perfectly good spice. I will not have it maligned!” Then the mads show up and they are construction workers – no reason why, but it’s pretty funny, even if both men are sans shirts! It’s the next three host segments that will make or break the episode for you.

This episode first came out in 1994. You have to know this to understand why this series of host segments exists. 1994 meant you couldn’t escape the obnoxious character Urkel from the sitcom Family Matters no matter how hard you tried. Essentially, Mike dresses like Urkel and talks like him for three straight host segments. Mike does a killer imitation, and its kind of funny. For me the humor comes from the reaction he gets from everyone who sees him. They all think he’s fall down on the floor hilarious. And I mean everyone: Crow, Tom, Gypsy, Dr. Forrester and Frank – sure. But Jan in the Pan, Santa Claus, Pitch, and Nuveena all show up and think it’s hilarious as well. Don’t know who all those folks are? Well let’s just say they are characters who visited the show previously and are played by various cast members. Finally Torgo from Manos: the Hands of Fate shows up and just doesn’t get it. Mike is playing Torgo – so you get Mike telling Mike he isn’t funny.

Anyway, if you remember when Urkel ruled the TV and how everyone thought he was the funniest damn thing ever – this might make you laugh. Otherwise, it will probably annoy the hell out of you. It’s one joke for three host segments and arguably not a very good one. This can be a deal breaker for some fans, and I can see it. Things calm down when the movie finishes. Mike reads some letters and Dr. Forresters ears keep growing. But the pain of Urkel may be too much for some viewers to stand.

Strictly going by riffing, San Francisco International is gold, easily a five star episode. But those host segments may affect your enjoyment. So I feel I need to drop one star. That leaves us with four mushy nose wheels out of five – but seek this episode out to see for yourself.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Time for another crack at the 100 Sci-fi Classics, and this time it’s another trip to Roger Corman’s filmography. Will we get the competent Roger, who can make low budget but entertaining films. Or do we get the Roger who’s editing and execution renders even a potentially interesting script lifeless and dull. Maybe somewhere in between.

Summary:

Oh that nutty scientist Eric Zinthrop (Michael Mark) is at it again. He has taken the royal jelly from wasps and is using it to create an anti-aging serum. Janice Starlin (Susan Cabot) is looking for a product to stop the slide her cosmetic company is taking, so she jumps on this invention, no matter how shady Zinthrop appears. At first her secretary Mary (Barboura Morris) and one of her execs Bill (Anthony Eisley) are concerned that she is being conned. But when Janice uses the serum on herself and becomes younger and younger, they begin to wonder if the serum has been thoroughly tested. Well it wouldn’t be called “Wasp Woman” if it was, and soon employees start dying in the building and it looks more and more like Janice is experiencing some horrific side effects.

Good Points:

Solid acting, especially by Susan Cabot

Tries to have some social points in the script

The Wasp Woman costume is hilarious

Bad Points:

The opening scenes at the bee farm are too slow

Long scenes of characters walking and a bad montage pad the film

The Wasp Woman costume is hilarious

Overall:

Not as bad as it could have been, but the first twenty minutes or so are slow going. Once Janice starts shooting the royal jelly into her veins things get interesting and move quicker. Depending on your tolerance for silly costumes, the Wasp Woman will ruin or make the movie for you. This ]makes for a fun time with some friends, but as a solo view – not worth checking out.

Scores (out of 5)

Visual: 2

Sound: 2

Acting: 3

Music: 2

Script: 2

Direction: 2

Entertainment: 1

Total: 2

In Depth Review

I have to be in the mood for Mr. Corman and his brand of goofiness. I think I was in the mood for this one. It was just that Corman started his movie with a long slog of a sequence that seemed to go out of its way to bore you. For the first segment of the film we end up following Mr. Zinthrop around as he tends to his wasps. We get to visit a few beekeepers as well. These scenes are filled with characters walking… slowly. The dialogue is poor and the acting is some of the worst in the film. According to rumor this sequence was added later after it turned out that the original film was too short. That explains quite a bit, because while we get to see where Zinthrop was working before he was picked up by Starlin Cosmetics, it really doesn’t add much to the film. You don’t want to start your monster movie with long shots of men walking slowly.

Things pick up a little once we get to the cosmetics company mostly because Susan Cabot makes Janice Starlin an interesting character. The script offers some ideas about public perception of women’s beauty and how age relates to it. During the board meeting some of the execs feel that because Janice removed herself from the advertising the company has been doing poorly. Janice feels she looks too old to be the face of a company that promotes youth. Both counts may be correct, and Cabot does a good job making Janice feel frustration that her age and people’s perception of her age is affecting her success. Is she vain? A little, but her concern (at least in her first scenes) is for her company. In a way I’m making this sound a lot more interesting than it turns out to be, but I want to give Cabot credit for a performance went beyond the necessity of the script.

Still things meander along with Cabot dealing with her suspicious coworkers and a very long montage sequence of Zinthrop experimenting and checking on the experiments and of meetings and floating heads. I know it’s supposed to represent the passage of time, but it really slows the already slow movie down even more. An unexpected side effect is that all the montage material is made up of sequences we have seen already or end up seeing later – it’s Frankenstein’s montage! I’m guessing this little moment was used to pad out the run time a bit more.

So by the time we get to the good stuff it feels like a drop of water in a dry land. This occurs when one of the test subject cats grows tiny furry wing-like things on his back and attacks Zinthrop. It’s hilarious stuff and is injection of fun the movie needed. After that we see Janice in her mutated form, which is really some fuzzy gloves and a extremely silly looking mask with bizarre compound eyes and antenna. When she attacks anyone she basically rubs them with the mask and they secrete what looks like strawberry preserves. Great stuff for the B movie fan. But it’s so little so late it really doesn’t do much to elevate the entertainment. You could make a fun little short film out of the material here, but Corman’s final cut is around 73 minutes long and with nearly 20 minutes of it as meandering padding – well it’s a serious blow.

Visually and sound wise there is some basic competence but there are a few scenes where the dialogue it tough to hear but as the actors move closer to the camera (and the boom) they get louder. There are also a few dark scenes where it is difficult to discern what is happening. The print wasn’t very good and some of these issues may be related to that. The music is fairly limited and in a few moments distracts from the film.

In the end, the movie is a bit of a slog to make it through. A few bright spots of Corman style humor involving the secretaries actually has some interesting dialogue, but mostly the movie just doesn’t have enough of a plot to make carry longer than 20 minutes or so. This could have been a fun episode of a television series, an extremely goofy version of the “Twilight Zone” maybe. However, if you enjoy watching low budget monster flicks with some friends there is a lot to work with here. Fans of “Mystery Science theater 3000” can seek out the “Cinematic Titanic” release of this film which features commentary by cast and writers for MST3K. I’m sure they had a blast with it. Otherwise, those looking for a good monster movie with bug women should look elsewhere.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Billy Duncan (Kim Milford) is the local outcast, even if he does wear super tight 70’s pants and has a cute girlfriend Kathy (Cheryl Smith). He gets harassed by pot smoking cops and dweeby bully Froggy (Eddie Deezen!?) in equal measure. Then he comes upon a laser gun and amulet in the desert. By combining the two he becomes a super-powerful green faced avenger able to blow people up, because he darn well feels like it. Doctor Mellon (Roddy McDowall) tries to help Billy. There is a mysterious government agent after Billy not to mention two cute looking stop-motion aliens and their very cool spaceship. Will Billy eventually snap out of it, or will everyone end up being the victim of his Laserblast!

Movie Review:

Rich in 70’s goodness, Laserblast has several tropes that monster movies of that era possess. Our lead character is a jerk, one that is counter to everyone else, and yet unhappy that he is not understood. Billy Duncan is one of those guys who might be kinda cool until you talk to him and realize he has a huge chip on his shoulder the entire time. This makes it very difficult to root for him as a hero. Instead you kinda hope the government agent or the cute little aliens find him.

Typical of these 70’s flicks, not a single person is likable, from the cops who are all stupid and useless, to the girlfriend, who seems nice enough but is dumber than a bag of hammers. Only Doctor Mellon comes across as reasonable, and only slightly abrasive. McDowall is actually the best actor of the bunch.

The movie is also dower and downbeat. Billy is misunderstood and oppressed. Then he gets his lasergun and goes on a rampage, while growing a disgusting hole in his chest. The movie is filled with anger, even going so far as blowing up a sign advertising Star Wars. It ends on a down note with our protagonist being brought down the alien forces. So no happy ending for you! Eat that Star Wars! Heck I’m not asking for a happy ending, but at least make your monster movie fun if it’s not going for scary.

Now being a lover of stop motion animation, I have a soft spot for the cute little aliens that run around. They open the movie up with some cool action sequence (well cool for this movie) and pop up a couple more times before the big finale. They are fun looking and their ship is pretty goofy, more of this kind of thing would have helped Laserblast. I’d rather look at them than Billy’s sour mug.

Those of you thirsty for some 70’s nostalgia will get plenty to enjoy here, from the teen fashions to the old designs for the soda cans in the movie. You also have a couple of neato vans driving around. Surprisingly the soundtrack is not all 70’s groovyness, but more electronic sounding closer to an early 80’s sound.

Surprisingly the music was co-written by Joel Goldsmith, a solid composer for television now and son of legendary composer Jerry Goldsmith (whose work includes Patton, The Omen, “tar Trek: the Motion Picture, LA Confidential and Planet of the Apes). Ok, now I’m off track here.

Lets put it this way, Laserblast feels like something that a bunch of friends put together because Star Wars was so popular. But their movie was gonna be deeper man, have more angst, be more of it’s time. Well, it also ended up being pretty lousy on top of it. Still there is enough to work with if you invite a stranded space man and his robots over to make fun of it.

Episode Review:

Laserblast goes down in Mystery Science Theater 3000 history for pretty much one reason. It’s the final episode made for Comedy Central. At the time, the cast and crew weren’t sure if they were going to be picked up by the Sci-fi Channel, so this was a farewell of sorts. In many ways it was a true farewell for one of the original writers and performers on the show, Trace Beaulieu.

But you know what, this episode is pretty funny for the movie riffing as well. Earlier this season Mike and bots struck gold with their take on The Incredible Melting Man a horrible piece of 70’s sludge that may be one of the juiciest movies they ever tackled. Here things take a decidedly more angsty view, but one that is just as 70’s. Billy is perfect for riffing. He takes himself so damn seriously, and Milford looks like he was hired because he kinda looked like Mark Hamill if you squint. He passes most of the movie with a bored look on his face, but I think that was on purpose. When he goes crazy with the laser gun and green face, it just opens up for more riffing. But my favorite Billy moment is when he first finds the gun and goes running around the desert pretending to shoot it yelling “Pow, Pow, Pow!” This guy looks around 19 or so, way too old and too cool be yelling “Pow” in the desert. I’m still not sure what the creators were going for here.

Mike and bots also fixate on the two idiot cops. One is dorky and gawky. One is huge and hairy. Both smoke some joints and love harassing Billy. The one that looks like Old Man Crenshaw from Boggy Creak 2 reminds our riffers of a commercial where we are repeatedly asked if we “are ready for some football”. This becomes a running joke, one I didn’t find that funny, but hey I don’t really remember the commercial. But aside from the football references, there’s plenty of riffing material to work with.

I think that most of the best material in Laserblast is for the stop motion aliens. They have odd rear ends that lead into all kinds of silly remarks. But between their random hand gestures and gibbering language, well it’s all tailor-made for our riffers. One scene features our alien hunters calling their boss on the view screen. One of the hunters raises his three fingered hand and Tom quips, “Read between the lines buddy!”. I also love when the two aliens are searching the desert. One has his back to the audience and is holding a long device in a pose that reminds Crow of Eddie Van Halen and so they go into a whole series of rocker based riffs.

All told, it’s a funny riffing session, not the best of the season, but a solid effort that will make you laugh. A few of the 70’s quips went over my head, and the football riff got old, but I know several fans who consider this a real classic episode. I won’t go that far, but easily a four star effort.

The host segments are what make this a real classic for fans of the show. Things start off with a very silly joke about the movie Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome that Mike tries to stop. When Dr. Forrester appears, he reveals that his funding has been cut and the experiment is over. So he leaves Mike and the bots to drift into deep space on the Satellite and gives them one more movie to “enjoy”. At the first break a Nomad probe (Star Trek fans will know what that is) invades the ship. Mike and the bots handle it. The next break has the ship entangled in a group field of Star Babies (2001 style). It’s up the crew to change one giant diaper! Next the ship is pulled near a black hole. To solve the problem Mike dresses as Captain Janeway from Star Trek Voyager – yeah it’s as hideous as you imagine. But does it work? For the final segment Mike and the bots are at the edge of the universe and become pure energy. Then we switch over to Dr. Forrester for another 2001 moment that ends the show.

This ends up being a very entertaining show, with some funny and silly host segments, the last hurrah for Trace (one of the original creators of the show) and a film with lots of good riffing. For many fans of the show Laserblast is one of the best, but I think this works just as well for anyone who enjoys the show, but may not call themselves a fan. Besides those little stop motion guys are hilarious.

I give it four cool 70’s vans out of five.

This episode is available on the Mystery Science Theater 3000: 20th Anniversary Edition.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

“It’s so complicated you have to see it twice, maybe even three times.” “A really amazing concept, so fresh.” “It’s a real mind f&$#.” So yeah, there’s been no hype on this movie at all. The minute I start hearing hyperbole, I lower my expectations. The last time I heard almost the exact same things about a movie – it was 1999 and the movie was “The Matrix”. I ended up being pretty disappointed. Lets see if I’m able to keep my expectations in line this time.

Summary:

Dreams are the keys to the mind. If you can enter a person’s dreams you can tamper with their mind. If you can accept that premise then you can accept this movie. Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a master of entering dreams and stealing information. With the trusty Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) at his side, he’s pulled off some serious jobs. Now Saito (Ken Watanabe) hires him to enter the mind of Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy) and pant an idea in his mind. Most dream specialists say its impossible, but Cobb insists that it can be done and that he’s done it before! So he gathers a team and prepares to enter the dreamlands. Of course nothing goes as planned. Cobb’s past begins to enter the dream world. Will this danger prevent the team from accomplishing their “Inception”?

Good Points:

Solid acting from the cast

The clever premise keeps you interested over the long running time

Action fans will enjoy the final half of the film

Bad Points:

Dreams offer infinite potential, but we don’t get much here

Explaining the rules of the dream world took a lot of time

BWWWWWAAAAAA – says Hans Zimmer

Overall

This is not a typical summer popcorn movie. The details of the plot are important and you need to pay attention when they are explained. After that, its fun in dreamland with action scenes and visual effects. It’s a fairly good balance that makes for an entertaining time. However, the movie isn’t mind-blowing or earth shattering in any way. It’s just an intelligent popcorn film. And you know what, we need more of those.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 4

Sound: 4

Acting: 4

Music: 2

Script: 3

Direction: 4

Entertainment: 3

Total: 4

In depth

The hype machine was in full swing for this one. Ok, maybe a little less than for Avatar but still a lot of people were really hyped for this. Me? Well I find Christopher Nolan’s films to be a bit too cold for me. I never get drawn in completely to them. I enjoy them, but I never love them. As you can see, the same thing happened here.

Still there’s a lot to like here. The cast is uniformly good. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Cobb very similarly to the character he played in Shutter Island. Both men are haunted by their past and find it difficult to function in the world because of it. Cobb is a cool professional who finds his skills being affected by his guilt. Guilt is manifested in visions of his dead wife Mal (Marion Cotillard). Cotillard brings a nice mix of alluring and disturbing to her performance.

I also got a kick out of seeing Joseph Gordon-Levitt: action hero. He kicks some serious butt in this movie, firing automatic weapons, and partaking in the best fight scene in the movie, the zero G hallway battle. On top of that he’s the guy who tries to keep everyone grounded: the voice of reason in the chaos.

My only issue was Ken Watanabe as Saito. I really wish they had let him speak in Japanese and subtitled him (although that would have scared away too many viewers). His accent is a bit thick and when he’s competing with the explosions, gunfire and Zimmer’s blaring music score, it can be hard to understand what he’s saying. This wouldn’t be too big of a problem, except he’s got some very important lines. I was able to muddle through based on context, and Watanbe’s actual performance is fine.

Action fans will be happy with the second half of the film. This movie has a bit of everything. It’s got stunt driving. It’s got shootouts. It’s action on skis and in the snow. It’s got the zero G battle. It’s got a commando style raid on a secure compound. It’s all handled very well, with clear but exciting action scenes. Jiggly cameras and annoying zooms are kept to a minimum, and it’s all for the good. The sound works great too, immersing you in the action, if sometimes drowning out the dialogue.

Nolan had a tough job here, balancing an interesting concept with lots of details with a movie that people expect to be action packed. He does a very good job, making most of the explanation scenes work organically into the story. You always feel like things are moving along even as the characters are explaining how dreamland works. In all this he injects Cobbs history and creates a solid climax out of it. On top of that, we are in Fischer’s brain for a big chunk of the movie, we get to know about him too. My hat is off to Nolan for pulling this off. In the hands of a less skilled director, this could have been a real bore until the action kicked in.

But a few things kept me from really getting sucked in. First is the music. Hans Zimmer does his usual here, with some good atmospheric music and propulsive action music. It works well with the film and never draws attention to itself. It frames the movie and provide another layer of sound. That’s exactly what Nolan wants in his movies and it works most of the time.

There is one little element in the score that just rubbed me the wrong way. I’ve heard other people call it other things, but I’ll call it - BWAAAAA! This little sound appears in the score on a number of occasions, usually when some revelation is occurring or when we are deep in dreamland. The arrival at the deepest part of the dream world is heralded by a number of BWAAAAA! This sound could easily be substituted by – bum Bum BUM! You’d get the same affect – at least from me. It made me laugh. At dramatic parts of your movie, you don’t want the audiance laughing.

I know what the BWAAAAA! Is. A song by Edith Piaf is used in the movie as a way to signal the dreamers. The song opens with trumpets. Take one of those trumpets and slow it way, way down and you get BWAAAAA! Kinda clever actually. I see what Zimmer had in mind and it makes sense. But I’m sorry it really took me out of the film. Now I have met a few people who don’t know what I’m BWAAAAAing about, so don’t feel bad if you missed it.

Then there’s the aspect of the final sequences of the film. This is hard to explain without giving too much away, and really it’s a nitpick. I found the final half of the film dragging a bit. There are lots of action scenes going on at once and in between are scenes where we see the dreamers asleep. This is done so that the audience gets an idea of where in time all these things are happening. I actually started to find the scenes with the dreamers really disruptive to the flow of the film. I think I’m in the minority on this one, but I found the second half of the movie a bit clunky. Still it must have been hard to figure out how to orchestrate this and not lose an audience. I’m just wondering if there may have been a better solution.

The final bit is really based on my expectations. I love dreams and their use in film. Some of my favorite directors can capture the feel of a dream or nightmare and the results are amazing. Nolan never really captured that feel in my opinion. We get cool visuals, some really neat fighting sequences, but that actual feel of a dream – I never felt it.

Compared to masters like David Lynch or Satoshi Kon, the dreams never really took off. I felt like this was a serious missed opportunity. I think I know the reason why the movie never went there (and even included rules to keep it from going there). Most people don’t know who the heck David Lynch or Satoshi Kon are. Their films aren’t popular and usually the reason is because they just plain weird. I love their stuff, but I can understand why others don’t. Lynch and Kon understand that dreams don’t operate by rules and this allows them to take flight in their films. Nolan forces rules so people will enjoy the fantasy and never feel the weirdness. That’s the difference. Nolan created a fantasy film about dream worlds. Lynch and Kon create films about dreams. I feel that if you are really going to delve into dreams then do it. Rules for dreams? That’s like making a bland dessert.

Sounds like I came down a bit hard, but honestly I enjoyed the film. I wish more popcorn movies had this amount of thought put into them. Since the movie is doing well, I think most viewers wanted something like this too. My issues with the movie are based on my expectations and the hype. Yeah I let it get to me. Still, this is a good movie, with some real highpoints. But not the best movie I’ve seen this year, much less of all time. Nolan’s going to have to warm up a bit to pull me in. But I admit, this is the most accessible film he’s made yet.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Time for another dive into the 100 Mystery Classics. A quick description revealed that Richard Basehart was the killer in this film. Jeez, talk about spoilers. Is it even worth watching if we know he did it? Turns out there was a lot more to this movie than meets the eye.

Summary:

Roy Morgan (Richard Basehart) finds his burglary attempt foiled by an off duty policeman and the officer is shot. Now the full force of the Los Angeles police department is on coming down to find him. Sgt. Brennan (Scott Brady), Captain Breen (Roy Roberts) and Sgt. Jones (James Cardwell) take on the case, following clues and trying to tie together crimes to find the killer. But he seems to always be one step ahead of them. But even a careful and intelligent criminal leaves some evidence – soon the police are closing in, but Morgan isn’t going down without a fight.

Good Points:

Richard Basehart is really good as the criminal

A peek into 40’s police procedures is fascinating

The script and direction keep things intense for most of the film

Bad Points

A motive for the crimes is never given or even theorized

Some of the narration comes across a bit corny

The movie focuses on police procedures and not on thrills

Overall:

This movie was a pleasant surprise.It was very interesting to watch the police work with clues and evidence in a way that reminded me of current “CSI” shows. It gave the movie a realism I wasn’t expecting. It turned into a game of cat and mouse, with Basehart providing a excellent performance as the confident and dangerous criminal. Anyone looking for a solid police procedural will find a lot to like in this film.

Scores (out of 5)

Visual Aspects: 4

Sound Aspects: 3

Acting: 4

Music: 3

Script: 4

Direction: 4

Entertainment: 4

Total: 4

In-Depth Review:

This movie was a pleasant surprise. I was pulled in quickly and completely involved in the case. I admit I was expecting more of a mystery film, and got a police procedural, but once I adjusted my expectations, I wasn’t disappointed at all.

Visually this is almost film noir, with Basehart hiding and emerging from shadows. In an especially tense scene he creeps into the business of Paul Reeves (Whit Bissell). As he watches and manipulates the events, he is filmed backlit, or peeking into the light. The angles and camera placement are perfect to build tension and keep things interesting. The chase scenes through the Los Angeles sewer system stand out as well. The huge tunnels and flashlights reminded me vividly of a 40’s version of the “X-files”. Interestingly enough Carol Reed would use very similar techniques and shots in the Orson Wells classic “The Third Man”.

Sound effects and music are utilized well in the film. Nothing really stood out, but the music did a good job of raising tension and keeping the pacing moving, even in scenes that dragged a little. As impressive looking as the tunnel sequence is, it does run a bit long, but the music helps keep it flowing.

For me Richard Basehart provide a big surprise. I wasn’t sure what to think about him playing a villain. I’m used to seeing him as the noble leader, or wise elder. But a killer without a conscious? Basehart plays Roy with his eyes. Many of the great scenes provide close-ups of his face. His voice is calm, often cool and detached. But his eyes betray confidence and cunning. You believe that this man can outwit the police and takes pleasure in doing it. It’s a great performance and it really makes the movie work.

Fans of classic television will get a big kick out of seeing Jack Webb as a cop, but not in “Dragnet”. This movie was filmed before the radio show or television series of the famous police procedural. But word is that Webb was inspired by his work with the police advisor on the set of this film to come up with the idea for “Dragnet”. In this film Webb plays a scientific evidence inspector. Basically he’s the Gil Grissom character from “CSI”. His research provides several keys to the investigation, including ballistics tests, indentifying chemicals found at a crime scene and even coming up with a way to create a composite of the criminal using various descriptions and individual slides of face elements. Amazing that this idea is shown in 1948 and is shown as high tech (and with computer aid) in the 1981 James Bond film, “For Your Eyes Only”.Webb plays the character as an amiable guy who is very good at his job. A bit warmer than the character on “Dragnet”, but its fun to see him in a role so similar to the one he’s famous for.

The rest of the cast does a solid job. All the actors in the police roles are believable and bring humanity to their parts. The police try to do the right thing, but are often stopped by evidence, laws and just bad luck. The script and actors do a good job showing us that police work can be frustrating and dull at times, especially when it comes to all the footwork needed to solve a case. Whit Bissell provides a memorable performance as factory owner, Mr. Reeves, a decent man caught up in some dangerous business and who gets himself on everyone’s bad side. You feel a bit sorry for the guy by the end of the movie.

Director Alfred L. Werker takes all the elements and turns them into a entertaining film. It’s a bit of a task to keep all the story threads flowing and understandable and build closer to the resolution. Werker is up to the task generating moments of tension when he needs to. Both scenes where Roy confronts Mr. Reeves are excellent, with the viewer not knowing how the chips are going to fall. He keeps Baseharts performance low key but edgy and it makes all the difference.

The only misstep is the length of the climax. The sewer tunnels are impressive and make for a great backdrop to play against, but the chasing and running goes on a little too long. I get the feeling that the cast and crew wanted to show off the location, but it ends up stalling a bit in momentum. The movie itself seems to end abruptly without an epilogue or wrap up of some kind. It’s not a deal breaker by any means, but struck me as odd. Compared to the similar “L.A. Confidential”, the wrap up after the climax provided a satisfying ending to the edgy film.

Needless to say I really enjoyed “He Walked by Night”. Fans of police dramas and procedurals will enjoy this early take on the material. Fans of Richard Basehart should check out his excellent turn here. And fans of “Dragnet” will like to see a proto-type version of the classic radio series and television show. Fans of good black and white films – well you can’t loose here either.

Friday, August 6, 2010

I’ve always been a fan of Lewis Carroll’s stories and world. I grew up watching Disney’s classic 1951 version of the story. I’ve managed to see several version of the tale and even played a wicked gothic video game version. When I heard that Tim Burton was going to provide his take on the story I was intrigued. But will my love for the original story taint my view of this version.

Summary:

Little Alice (Mia Wasikowska) has grown up, and now at 19 she finds herself at her engagement party. When her suitor pops the question, Alice runs off and follows a white rabbit down a hole. She finds herself in a wonderful land, where everyone seems to remember her and has been waiting for her return. But Alice has no memory of this land. The Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) does his best to guide her along her path to destiny. You see the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) rules Underland with an iron fist and threatens any dissent by unleashing the Jabberwocky. Alice is prophesized to become the White Queen’s (Anne Hathaway) champion and defeat the beast. That’s all well and good but Alice doesn’t seem motivated to help. Will she embrace her destiny or become another pawn of the Red Queen?

Good Points:

Burton’s gift for amazing visuals shines throughout

Danny Elfman’s score is one of his best

The supporting cast is very good

Bad Points:

A very serious plot takes away some of the fun you associate with the story

The middle portion of the film tends to drag

What is with that dance sequence?

Overall

A curious movie to say the least. With a straightforward quest plot it feels like a bit of the fun was taken out of the nonsensical world. At the same time the movie has some amazing characters and sequences that pay homage to the original stories and the Disney incarnation. It’s a mixed bag, worth checking out but not quite as good as I hoped it would be.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 4

Sound: 4

Music: 5

Acting: 4

Script: 3

Direction: 3

Entertainment: 3

Total: 3

Curious about a full review, send me an email and I'll make additional thoughts to this review.

Abigail Breslin in a zombie movie? Well that sounds interesting. Oh hey its got Woody in it too, and the guy from “Adventureland”. Well that’s pretty cool. Bill Murray? Wait a sec, what kind of movie is this?

Summary:

Zombies have overrun the earth. A young man who goes by the name Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) has survived because he sticks close to his rules of survival, including gems like “Limber up”, “Avoid bathrooms”, “Don’t be a hero” and “Cardio”. He eventually runs into Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) a man who’s obsessed with finding an edible Twinkie. The two team up and eventually meet the duo of Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). They two are on a quest to Pacific Playland, the only amusement park that is supposed to be zombie free. Their journey will take them across the country and face to face with zombie hordes. But the real question is how does Bill Murray fit into “Zombieland”.

Good Points

A nice combination of action and comedy

Woody Harrelson nearly steals the movie

And then Bill Murray shows up

Bad Points

Not scary, and not a horror movie

The story is pretty predictable

Forces you to watch someone eat a Hostess snowball

Overall

This is a fun little movie that breezes right along giving you laughs and action in equal doses. Those looking for scares need not apply, but you do get some gruesome zombie deaths. All the cast seems to be having a good time and it oozes like zombie gore into the audience.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 4

Sound: 3

Acting: 4

Music: 4

Script: 4

Direction: 3

Entertainment: 4

Total: 4

Curious about a full review, send me an email and I'll make additional thoughts to this review.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Martin Scorsese directing a thriller with supernatural elements? Count me in. But a quick look at reviews for the film show quite a mixed response. Did something go wrong, or did viewers expecting something other than what they were getting.

Summary:

I the early 1950’s, U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo) are sent to Shutter Island to catch an escapee. Shutter Island is an Alcatraz for mentally unstable criminals. Upon arriving they meet psychologist Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley) who is using radical techniques to reach his patients. But Teddy has another reason for heading to Shutter Island, and his secret may unravel events that plunge him and Chuck into a dangerous conspiracy or worse cause them to lose their minds.

Good Points

Solid acting by the entire cast

Dream sequences and hallucinations are executed with flair

Some clever plot twists keep things interesting

Bad Points

Strange music selection harms key sequences

Some of the plot twist may disturb certain viewers

A few strange editing choices distract in places

Overall

Scorsese’s skill behind the camera helps craft an interesting thriller. He knows how to get great performances from his actors. This is one of those movies that could have been an average thriller with a different person at the helm, but Scorsese kicks up some good tension in places. While this is not an instant classic, it’s a solid thriller for movie night.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 4

Sound: 4

Acting: 4

Music: 2

Script: 4

Directing: 4

Entertainment: 3

Total: 4

In Depth Review

I’m not sure what people were expecting when they saw this movie. Something more like “The Departed” or maybe “Goodfellas” with ghosts? From the trailers I thought this was more of a supernatural thriller, but it’s really more of psychological thriller. The setting of a mental institution introduces many variables into the equation, and these drive the tension. So if you’re looking for ghosts or spirits, this movie isn’t going to provide them. But if you like mind games, then this will be worth seeking out.

A quick note to anyone who’s read the novel: my wife read it and said that the movie follows the plot very closely. She also said that this affected her enjoyment of the movie because it was too predictable. I didn’t read the book and enjoyed it a bit more than she did.

I realized that good performances were going to be the key to this film. You have to believe the characters and start to see things from their point of view. Not only does this keep things intense, but it allows the plot twists to deliver the punch they need. The cast is exceptional here with DiCaprio being the focus of the story and therefore getting the most screen time. We understand Teddy, He’s a veteran of the European front of WWII. He was part of the group that liberated concentration camps and what he’s seen there haunts him. Throughout the movie his experience colors his options and reactions to the events around him. It’s a juicy part and he pulls it off well.

The supporting cast is just as good with Ruffalo providing us with the nice guy Chuck. He’s driven to help Teddy, but as the movie progresses we begin to wonder about his motives. Ben Kingsley appears to be a man who genuinely wants to help the mentally ill and do it in a way that will be the least invasive. But there is something off about him – a secret he’s hiding. I also enjoyed Max Von Sydow’s small but key performance as a doctor who may also have a past in WWII, but on the other side. I’m leaving out several key performances by very good actors, but no one is wasted here and it all works for the good of the film.

Scorsese uses color and framing in excellent ways. For the most part the sets, clothing and even the water around the island are shades of grey and dull brown. It’s a washed out look that adds to the atmosphere. But when dream sequences and hallucinations kick in, we get startling use of color. Rich greens, reds and blues pop off the screen and give us a touch of unease. Scorsese uses some clever special effects and simple in camera techniques to add a surreal touch to these sequences. I also enjoyed the way he framed shots, often putting Teddy in a shot isolated amid a grey sky or a black background. Teddy is a man apart from the rest of the world both in character and visually.

Not all the choices work to the advantage. A few moments of odd editing makes a viewer wonder if scenes were hastily cut, or if they blinked and missed something. I think Scorsese was trying to heighten tension with these erratic jumps, but it actually was distracting, removing me from the film.

Then there were the music selections. Instead of hiring a composer, he opted to pick existing music and place it over the scenes. Some of it is very good, like the pieces by Mahler. But some of the selections are so badly placed that it amazed me. The worst offender happens at the beginning of the film as Teddy and Chuck arrive at Shutter Island. The music sounds like something you hear during a terrifying climax, as the horror reaches its apex. But instead it’s used over a simple driving scene. The effect is comical. A creeping dread style of music would have been much more effective than bombast. I’m sure Scorsese knows that, so it was probably intentional – but I’m not sure what he was trying to do there. Make the audience laugh was probably not on that list.

A thriller’s effectiveness is measured by how drawn into the film you are. If you are at the edge of your seat wondering if your lead character is going to survive then the movie has done its job. “Shutter Island” works in fits and starts. Certain sequences are excellent and others (those affected by the edits or music choices) pull you from the film. This breaks up the flow and reduces your chances of getting really scared. To see it done right, check out Hitchcock’s “Rear Window”.

What this boils down to is that “Shutter Island” ends up working for a good portion of its run time and is entertaining. It just doesn’t feel as good as it could have been. I recommend it, but don’t expect to be blown away.

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About Me

I'm a writer who loves movies, books, video games and music. Wow, that's pretty generic eh? Been a staff writer for DVD Verdict.com and animeondvd.com. I worked at a video store for nearly 10 years. Still working on genre fiction both short and novel length.